The present invention relates to a medical training and evaluating simulator and, more particularly, to a cardiological system which may be used in connection with an animated manikin for teaching and evaluating medical personnel.
In order to improve the teaching of practical cardiological techniques, various types of training aids have been developed which simulate heart sounds and other physical conditions in manikins and other anatomical models. In most cases, however, the authenticity of simulation is so limited that while these devices perform a teaching function, they are poor substitutes for learning by practicing on actual patients. But even practice with actual patients has its limitations since the number and diversity of cardiological diseases to be found in a sampling of patients during a given period, even in the largest of facilities, is a small percentage of the number of known conditions. A further problem posed by this sampling situation is the difficulty of evaluating and certifying the clinical diagnostic capabilities of both students and experienced physicians over a period of time, since no objective standard of evaluation is available.
The present invention is directed to providing a cardiological training system with improved features whose authenticity of simulation and versatility permit a student to achieve a higher level of clinical training than can normally be obtained in working with actual patients, while at the same time providing an objective standard for evaluating the clinical skills of both students and experienced cardiologists. It is particularly intended for incorporation in, and to improve upon manikin systems such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,662,076 and 3,665,087.